Yale holds off Duke, 13-11

WASHINGTON, D.C. – He led his team to its first NCAA Championship while notching his name in the school's record books enough to become the most decorated lacrosse player in the history of the program.

Ben Reeves, the captain of the 2018 team that beat Duke on Monday in the national title game, has been named Yale's first Tewaaraton Award winner. The 18th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony, celebrating the best player in the collegiate game, was tonight at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian.

Reeves, a first-team All-American for the third straight season this spring, earned his second straight Ivy League Player of the Year honor in 2018 while helping the Elis win the regular-season Ivy crown. He was also the recipient of the 2018 William Neely Mallory Award, the most prestigious athletic award given to a senior male at Yale.

Reeves, a finalist for the Tewaaraton the last three years, owns the school's career records for goals (174) and points (316) while his 115 points this spring are a Yale season record.

The senior Bulldog attackman gave a shout out to his teammates, who "made him look good," and went on to say, I'd like to thank the alumni, who really built the program and turned it into what it is today. They helped us win a national championship."

He scored 62 goals this year, including 11 over the 4-game NCAA Tournament run that ended with a 13-11 win over the Blue Devils on May 28 at Gillette Stadium. During that string of games, Reeves helped the Elis, who trailed just once in the opening minutes of the first contest, hit the net 56 times.

He ranked second in the nation for goals per game (3.10) and points (5. 75), while he was seventh in assists (2.57). The Yale leader also finished with a goal in his last 54 games.

Reeves, a molecular, cellular & developmental biology major with a 3.89 GPA, shadowed cardiac surgeons in Africa as they worked on impoverished children one summer. He worked in a Yale cancer research lab focusing on cancers found in the blood (leukemia), and then spent a summer working at the University of Rochester doing research on tumors of the neural crest while shadowing a pediatric oncologist at Strong Memorial Hospital. He will continue his medical research at Yale in the fall.